Elevating dumping container railway car



Aprii 12, 1966 A. M. SCHIELER ELEVATING DUMPING CONTAINER RAILWAY CAR Filed March 29 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALBERT M. SCHIELER BY ATTORN S April 12, 1966 A. M. SCHIELER ELEVATING DUMPING CONTAINER RAILWAY CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1965 INVENTOR ALBERT M. SCHIELER WW ATTORN 5 FIGS.

A ril 12, 1966 A. M. SCHIELER ELEVATING DUMPING CONTAINER RAILWAY GAR Filed March 29, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ALBERT M. SGHIELER M ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,245,358 ELEVATING DUMPING CONTAINER RAILWAY CAR Albert M. Schieler, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to General Steel Industries, Inc., Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 268,893 3 Claims. (Cl. 105-246) The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consistsv particularly in a railway car and container arrangement for hauling and rapidly discharging granular or shredded material such as pulpwood chips used in the manufacture of paper.

With lightweight, highly hygroscopic materials, such as wood chips, difiiculty is frequently encountered in emptying cars due to the low gravitational effect of this lading and its tendency to cohere and adhere to the car walls, particularly if moist or wet.

Wood chips are used in very large quantities by paper mills, and accordingly transportation in bulk is economically necessary. Efforts to ship them in conventional hopper cars have not been entirely satisfactory because the angle of the slope sheets in most such cars is less than the angle of repose of moist or wet wood chips.

It is a main object of the invention to provide a pulpwood chip carrying car which can be easily and rapidly unloaded.

It is a further object to provide a car for carrying wood chips and the like in which the emptying process is accelerated by upward movement of the chip containing portion of the car.

It is a further object to provide a car for carrying wood chips and the like in which emptying of the car including opening the doors is accomplished solely by elevating the chip containing portion of the car.

It is a further object to provide a car in which the operation of the doors is effected solely by raising the container portion of the car a predetermined distance to open the doors and lowering it to its normal height to close the doors and maintain them closed.

The foregoing and additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a car and associated containers embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the car and containers illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end view of a container with its doors closed.

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the container center sill, hinge, and door construction along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a partial end View corresponding to FIG. 3, but with the doors open to the discharge position.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged horizontal sectional views along lines 6-6 and 7-7, respectively, of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side view of the interengaging guide channels along line 8-8 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view through the container end walls along line 9-9 of FIG. 3.

The car comprises an underfame 1 having side sills 3 and center sill 4, connected by transverse members 5 which are inclined downwardly from the side sills to form with each other a shallow V-shape trough transversely of the car. To each end of the underframe is secured (preferably as shown and described in Patent 2,640,443 to myself and Edwin C. Jackson and assigned to the assignee of the present application) a bulkhead comprising a plurality of upright posts 7, on the upper corners of which, remote from the end of the car, is

mounted tie bar 8 of angle cross section. The depth of posts 7 lengthwise of the car and the manner of their connection and the longitudinal spacing of their connections to the underframe ensure that the posts will not tilt or bend when subjected to force acting lengthwise of the car.

The car is provided with two large upwardly open containers 9, each of which has longitudinally extending side walls 11 spaced apart from each other a substantially greater distance than the maximum width of the underframe, and longitudinally spaced apart end walls 13, which are spaced apart a suflicient distance to permit the positioning of two containers 9 between the longitudinally spaced end posts 7 of the car. Side walls 11 are not absolutely vertical but slope slightly inwardly from the bottom to the top forming a container having a nearly trapezoidal cross section for the purpose of preventing the adherence to the side walls of chips, however moist or wet they may be, and thus to facilitate unloading. The side and end walls may be suitably reinforced by vertically spaced horizontal beams 14. For providing additional longitudinal resistance, one of the end beams 14, approximately a third of the way up from the. bottom of the container, mounts a pair of fiat transverse bufling plates 16, which are adapted for abutting engagement with similar plates on the adjacent container and correspondingly positioned plates 16:: on the car intermediate end posts 7.

For resisting the high buffing forces to which containers of this type would likely be subjected during operation and for providing a strong mounting member for the container doors, which will be described hereinafter, each container is provided with a longitudinally extending boxsection center sill 15 which extends the full length of the container, and slightly outwardly from the end walls thereof, the adjacent ends of container center sills 15 being adapted to abut each other and their remote ends being adapted to engage transverse members 17 of the underframe, which are substantially flush with the bases of posts 7. The bottom margins of the end walls slope slightly upwardly outwardly of the center sill and are reinforced by similarly sloping channel section end sills 18 extending between center sill 15 and side walls 11 outwardly of end walls 13.

At intervals throughout its length, container center sill 15 mounts hinge brackets 19 formed of plates extending transversely of the center sill at each side thereof, and occupying the space between the vertical side walls 15a and outwardly and slightly upwardly inclined flanges 15b. Hinge brackets 19 are arranged in closely spaced pairs and have extensions 21 between each pair of which is received an eye-like member 23 connected to the inner edge of drop doors 25. Hinge bracket extensions 21 and members 23 are provided with registering holes through which are passed suitable pins or bolts 27. Doors 25 extend the entire distance from the hinges to the lower margins of the container bottom walls 11, Le, a substantial distance outwardly of underframe side sills 3 when the doors are closed. Each door is provided with suitable transverse and longitudinal frame members 29 and 31, and a cover plate 33, the inner margin of which extends over hinge bracket extensions 21 and eyes 23, and is overlapped, in order to prevent fouling of the hinges by the chip lading of the container, by a sloping cave-like member 35 extending the full length of the container and thus protecting all the hinges. The upper and inner edges of members 35 are secured to the upper corners of the center sill 15. and their lower margins abut the upper surface of the inner marginal portion of door cover plates 33.. For further facilitating emptying the container an in-.

verted V-ridge 37, the full width of the center sill, is secured to the top wall of the center sill.

When the container is in its normal position resting upon the underframe, doors 25 will be held in closed position, i.e., with their outer edges in substantial sealing engagement with the lower margins of the container side Walls 11. Along their end edges doors 25 are provided with upstanding wings 39 to prevent any of the lading passing out through the ends of the door openings when the doors are opened, wings 39 being of nearly triangular shape, and being entirely positioned outside of end walls 13 and end sills 18. To protect wings 39 the lower part of each of end walls 13 outwardly of end sill 18 and beams 14 is provided with an exterior sheathing 41 between which and end Walls 13 are formed downwardly-open shallow recesses accommodating wings 39 and accommodating their movement when the doors are opened and closed. Since closure of the doors is effected solely by gravity it will be evident from FIG. that by lifting container 9 from the underframe by any suitable means, doors will move to the position shown in FIG. 5, i.e., with their surfaces 33 steeply inclined, and their lower edges extending slightly past underframe side sills 3 so that any lading in the containers will be discharged at the sides but not on the underframe.

For limiting opening movement of the doors to the maximum shown in FIG. 5, irrespective of the height to which the container is raised, the door wings 39 are provided with inwardly directed flanges 40 along their inner margins which are adapted to overlyingly engage end sills 18 when the door reaches the fully open position shown in FIG. 5.

For lifting the container the side walls 11 thereof are preferably provided intermediate their ends with pairs of longitudinally spaced transversely aligned holes 43 to receive the hooks of a crane, and the upper portions of the side walls around and intermediate holes 43 are suitably reinforced by diagonal ribs 44.

The containers are maintained centered relative to the underframe at all times irrespective of the height to which they are elevated, in order that when the doors reach their fully opened positions as shown in FIG. 5, the outer edges of both will be in the position shown in FIG. 5 and not inwardly of the side sills whereby some of the lading would spill inside of the underframe instead of being discharged clear of the underframe. For assuring vertical movement of the containers, the outermost end posts 7 of the car and the four corners of each container are provided with mating vertical guides 45 and 47. Female guide members 45 are channels secured by their webs, i.e., with their openings outward, to the right hand side of each end 13 of each container and to corresponding car end posts 7, and male guide members 47 are slightly smaller channel members secured to the left hand sides of each of the container end walls 13 and to the corresponding underframe end post 7, so that when both containers are mounted on the underframe, guide members 45 and 47 on the remote ends of the containers will be in vertically slidable mating engagement respectively with members 47 and 45 on the underframe end posts and guide members 45 and 47 on the adjacent ends of the containers will be in similar vertically slidable mating engagement, so that if one of the containers is lifted by a crane as referred to previously, it will be restricted to purely vertical movement by the interengagement of guide members 45 and 47 at its one end with mating members on the car underframe end posts, and by vertically slidable engagement of members 45 and 47 at its other end with mating members 47 and 45 on the other container.

Upward movement of the containers is halted when the container reaches the height shown in FIG. 5 to prevent excessive opening of the doors and consequent emptying of some of the lading on the underframe instead of clear of it. For selectively preventing upward movement of the containers beyond the height shown in FIG. 5, while yet permitting complete removal of either or both the containers from the car if desired, beside each of the guide members 45 and 47 is pivotally mounted, on brackets 48 and 49 carried respectively by members 45 and 47, lugs 51 which are adapted for rotation from a horizontal locking position shown in solid lines in which they will overlie horizontal stop abutments 53 on the guide members 45 or 47 and a vertical released position 51-1 shown in broken lines. When it is desired to empty a container, lugs 51 on the adjacent container and the adjacent end of the car are rotated from their vertical inoperative position 51-1 to their horizontal operative position 51 wherein they project longitudinally of the car to overlie abutments 53 on the container to be emptied, so that when the container has been lifted to its proper discharge height as shown in FIG. 5, further upward movement of the container is prevented by engagement of stop abutments 53 with lugs 51 which in turn are held against further clockwise rotation by the engagement of their lower surfaces with the bottom horizontal portion of brackets 48 and 49.

Operation of the car is as follows: The containers resting on the car underfrarnes as shown in FIG. 3 are loaded with chips at the chip mill by being filled therewith through their open tops. The car is then moved to its destination, usually a paper mill, and spotted on the mill siding beneath a traveling crane and adjacent trackside pits for receiving the chips. The crane is positioned above one of the containers, e.g., the left hand container in FIGS. 1 and 2, and its cables are attached to the container through holes 43. Lugs 51 on car left hand end posts 7 are rotated to the horizontal position as are lugs 51 on the end of the right hand container adjacent the container to be raised, so as to engage stop brackets 53 on the left hand container when the left hand container reaches the height shown in FIG. 5. The crane is then energized, raising the left hand container to the position shown in FIG. 5 to which position further upward movement will be prevented by the engagement of lugs 51 on the end posts and on the other container with stop brackets 53 on the container being raised. As the container is elevated, doors 25 move to the positions shown in FIG. 5 with their outer edges slightly overlapping the car side sills 3, and the inertia of the lading, coupled with the upward movement of the container, causes the lading to drop through the door openings on each side of the car, discharge of any of the lading through the ends instead of the sides of the doors being prevented by upstanding wings 39 on the ends of each door. The empty container is then lowered to the car underframe, its doors being closed by sliding engagement of their bottoms and the car side sills. Upon emptying of each container, succeeding containers can be emptied in the same way.

The invention may be modified in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art and the exclusive use of all modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising an underframe with its upper surface of generally V-shaped transverse section, and a container having bottom drop doors hingedly connected along their inner margins to said container on axes extending longitudinally thereof and substantially midway of the sides thereof, said container normally resting on said underframe with the bottom of said doors in nesting engagement with the upper V-shaped surface thereof whereby said doors form a complementary V-shaped bottom wall on said container, said container being elevatable relative to said underframe whereby to permit said doors to move to outwardly and downwardly inclined open positions.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1, including a second container similarly seated on said vehicle underframe and having an end adjacent one end of said first named container, there being cooperating vertical guide elements on the adjacent ends of said containers for ensuring vertical movement of one of the containers while being lifted when the other container is seated on said underframe.

3. A vehicle according to claim 1 including vertical guide elements carried by said underframe adjacent an end of said container and cooperating elements on the adjacent end of said container, there being a second similar container similarly seated on said vehicle underframe adjacent the end of said first named container remote from said underframe guide elements, and cooperating vertical guide elements on said remote end of said container and the end of said second container adjacent thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 301,437 7/1884 'Egerton 298-24 412,964 10/1889 Mackall 105248 Muller et a1. 105290 Lettinger 105366 Harrington.

Conrad.

Radzievich 105-257 Yost 105244 Dempster 2981 FOREIGN PATENTS France.

Germany. Germany. Germany.

15 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A VEHICLE COMPRISING AN UNDERFRAME WITH ITS UPPER SURFACE OF GENERALLY V-SHAPED TRANSVERSE SECTION, AND A CONTAINER HAVING BOTTOM DROP DOORS HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG THEIR INNER MARGINS TO SAID CONTAINER ON AXES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF AND SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY OF THE SIDES THEREOF, SAID CONTAINER NORMALLY RESTING ON SAID UNDERFRAME WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID DOORS IN NESTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER V-SHAPED SURFACE THEREOF WHEREBY SAID DOORS FORM A COMPLEMENTARY V-SHAPED BOTTOM WALL ON SAID CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER BEING ELEVATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID UNDERFRAME WHEREBY TO PERMIT SAID DOORS TO MOVE TO OUTWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY INCLINED OPEN POSITIONS. 